Okay, so here’s the thing. I had this moment the other day while playing Diddy Kong Racing. It’s like, Rare, you did good, but I still can’t get my head around all the Donkey Kong stuff. Maybe it’s just me, but all that deep ape lore – nah, I’m skipping it as I get ready for Donkey Kong Bananza next week. I mean, who even thinks about this stuff, right?
And then… there’s Candy Kong. Yeah, let’s not even go there.
Anyway, I’ve been a fan of the OG Donkey Kong games forever. Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., oh, and that 1994 Game Boy one – they were my jam. So, this Bananza thing? It’s like the next big chapter. A sequel but with all that legacy feel. I’m stoked to see how they connect it to the whole Mario-saving-a-damsel thing. Is that what they’re doing? Who knows, but it’s exciting!
Nintendo’s keeping all the juicy plot stuff under wraps, as usual. How modern Donkey Kong and this young Pauline from 44 years ago link up? It’s a mystery. But yeah, weirdly, I’m obsessing over not finding spoilers. Who knew I’d care this much?
So last month’s reveal chat mentioned how Cranky, Diddy, Dixie, and the gang are coming back. But honestly, I’m just gonna make up my own stories as I play. There are gonna be tons of these monkeys, and I plan to see them with a fresh perspective.
Why am I bypassing the Country and Land games? I dunno, maybe it’s the cheesy humor or those cartoon-vibes. And the designs were… questionable. Like seriously, Candy Kong? What was that even? Some things scar you for life. (Funky Kong is the exception, though.)
Bananza, on the flip side, seems to promise some cool ape lore. The Elder animals and the villainous VoidCo apes – they look slick. It’s like they gave this world a real magic touch, and yes, I am here for it. Those baddies have evolved since Jungle Beat days, and I gotta say, they’re looking pretty slick now.
By the way, I’m not bashing the Donkey Kong Country games for how they play – some are even fun. But as someone who’s just not vibing with the old Rare era, I’m all for forgetting that chaos and diving into this shiny new Donkey Kong world. Let’s see where it goes, I guess.
